Another Day
by EneriRenie
Summary: I think I'll go home now...it's been the greatest day. Thank you for shedding life to my fantasy...When will it break? Today is gone, but tomorrow will be okay... [YohxAnna]


Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King. The title "Another Day" is from the song by Mojofly.

A/N: Waaaaaiiii, my first Yoh and Anna fic! I was inspired by all the Yona fics out there (I think I've read them all already…I even searched in Google! Hehehehe!) Mind you, this is rather pointless and a lil bit fluffy…but I firmly believe both Anna and Yoh are capable of being fluffy if they want to. So there. :P Many, many, many thanks to **syaoran no hime** for betaing this fic. She says it's her first time to beta, and I think she certainly did a good job of pointing out my mistakes! (Labshu pareh! Bwahahaha!) Read _her_ Yona fics, they're awesome! (Plugging:P)

Dedicated to Caty-chan, my original beta, for the never-ending support and encouragement she gives me

**Another Day

* * *

**

"Anna?"

Manta peered around the door to find Anna sitting by the dining table. She was drinking tea in that deliberate way of hers: eyes closed, one pinkie raised while delicately sipping the tea. He entered the room and Anna opened her eyes, slowly putting the cup down.

"Manta. I thought you'd already gone home."

"I was about to. I just…came to see you."

"Won't you sit down?"

"Thanks." He sat down opposite her.

"You came to see me." It wasn't a question, and Manta thought he detected a faint hint of amusement in her usually cold voice. "Well…that's new."

"I just wanted to ask you something," Manta said.

"Actually, I have a question for you, too," she said, almost to herself.

"You go first."

Anna studied him for a moment, and he couldn't help stiffening, maybe just a bit, under her gaze. Her eyes – Manta always thought they were like black holes. Void of any emotion. Cold, like the rest of her. But sometimes he witnessed them flicker with something he didn't recognize, when she would look at Yoh.

"Are you afraid of me?"

Manta was taken aback by the question. He was so surprised that he sat there for a few moments. Anna waited with her usual calm demeanor.

Finally, he smiled. "You can be pretty scary sometimes, Anna," he said truthfully. "So I guess there are times when I _am_ afraid of you – but not always."

She gave him a rare, but small smile. "I know I'm…like that. That's just who I am…" she trailed off.

Manta just nodded, not knowing what to say.

"Is Yoh afraid of me?" she asked, her voice losing its icy edge.

"Yoh just wants to please you," he answered carefully.

"You're not answering my questions at all," Anna sighed.

"I'm telling you the truth," Manta said, finding the courage to look at her fully in the eye. "What Yoh is afraid of – he's afraid of failing you."

Anna averted her gaze to look down at her hands, which were clenched. Manta continued, "That's why he doesn't really mind the vigorous training sessions you put him through – although he complains a lot, I guess…"

"You know," Anna broke in suddenly. "I have no doubt at all that he will become the Shaman King one day. But…I just want him to be the best that he can be."

"Yeah." Manta smiled inwardly. He felt like he was finally seeing the real Anna Kyouyama. He knew she wasn't completely numb; she just likes to always put on a mask for some reason.

She raised the cup to her lips and drained the tea in long, graceful sips. "Did he…tell you all that? What you just told me?"

He shook his head. "He doesn't really need to. I can see it in him anyway – I don't know…I just know. He's my best friend, after all."

"Yes. And you certainly are his best friend." There was a touch of bitterness in her voice.

He frowned. What did she mean by that? "Well, you're his fiancée," he pointed out.

Anna let the empty cup slide from her grasp. It clattered noisily on the table, but did not break. "I'm _just_ his fiancée," she corrected.

"Just?" he echoed, frowning. "I don't understand."

"You don't have to understand." She shook her head, mumbling her next words, although Manta thought he heard her say, "He doesn't love me anyway."

"W-what about you?" he asked uncertainly. "Do you…love him?" That was the question he wanted so much to ask from before. Maybe he didn't have to understand Yoh and Anna's relationship – but he wanted to. It intrigued and fascinated him.

Anna lifted her head. "That – is an incredibly stupid question, Manta."

Manta looked puzzled. "Can you explain what you mean, please?"

"If I didn't love Yoh, I would've left a long time ago. If I didn't love him, I wouldn't have followed him here. If I didn't love him, I would've called off our engagement. If I didn't—"

"Does he know?" he blurted out.

She froze, and he froze as well. Granted, Anna may be acting a bit strange that day, but he had never seen her like that before. Looking dazed.

Then, "It's getting late. You really should be going now," she said monotonously. The mask was back in place.

Feeling strangely calm instead of frightened, as was his usual reaction towards the girl, Manta stood up slowly, gathering his things before making his way to the door. He stopped abruptly and turned around. "Anna, if you love him…tell him." Then he left.

Anna released the breath that she didn't realize she was holding.

* * *

Yoh sank deeper into the hot water, trying to relax his aching muscles. He sighed deeply.

"How's your training going?"

Yoh kept his eyes closed, not even a bit surprised that the Ainu shaman was in their house, much less inside their bath again. "Deathly, as usual. You?"

"I swear, Pilika and Anna must've coordinated their training exercises or something. I think I know exactly how you feel now." They laughed, then fell into a comfortable silence.

Horo Horo broke it. "Hey, Yoh? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Yoh said cheerfully.

"Anna's, like – well, she's your girlfriend, right?"

"Yeah, well, more than that." Yoh started to massage his arm, wincing as he hit sore spots. "She's my fiancée."

"Right." Horo Horo nodded. "So, do you _like_ being her fiancée?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Yoh asked, his brows furrowed.

"I mean – well I guess what I'm asking is—" Horo Horo waved his hands animatedly in the air, trying to grasp the right words, "—Do you, you know, actually have _feelings_ for her? Like, do you love Anna?"

At that, Yoh stiffened, then went completely still, as if in shock. Horo Horo stared at him in puzzlement, then scooted closer to peer in his face. "Hel-loooo? Hey, Yoh…" No response. "Oi!" Starting to get annoyed, Horo Horo poked him in the arm.

"AAAAAUUUUUUGGHHHH!" Yoh's bloodcurdling scream filled the room. Horo Horo moved away from him in horror.

"Don't _do_ that again!" Yoh gasped, recovering. He touched his arm tenderly and winced. "It hurts like hell!"

Horo Horo resisted the urge to laugh out loud at Yoh's facial expression. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to." Then he brightened. "Oh, hey, did you hear my question? I asked you…if you… loved…" he trailed off, seeing Yoh go completely still again.

The blue-haired shaman folded his arms across his chest and frowned at his friend. "There's something seriously wrong with you, man. Why do you always space out whenever I ask if you—"

"You know," Yoh said suddenly. "I…I think…" he paused. "…I do."

"You do? So you love Anna?" Horo Horo studied Yoh closely.

"I…love Anna," Yoh said wonderingly, as if he had just seen the world's greatest miracle.

Horo Horo burst out laughing. "GEE! Well it's about time you realized that, you moron!"

Yoh looked so dazed that he missed the insult. "I never really thought about it," he mumbled to himself. "It's like – I always knew, but I never…I just realized when you asked me—"

"WHAT?" Horo Horo yelled. "You mean – she doesn't _know_!"

Yoh smiled uncertainly. "Uhh…no?"

"You total idiot!" Horo Horo raged. Then he started laughing like crazy. "Man, now I know why Anna's so mad at you!" He howled like a maniac, pounding the floor and sending water splashing everywhere.

"Huh?" Yoh said, looking lost and confused.

Horo Horo finally stopped laughing. "Listen to me carefully," he said gravely. "I may not have a girlfriend, but I do have one insane sister, so I know about these things. You have to tell Anna what you feel."

"WHAT?" Yoh yelled this time. "Why do I have to? Can't it be seen from – from my actions and everything? Can't I just _show_ her?"

Horo Horo nodded seriously, holding his chin in one hand as if he was solving a mystery. "You're right – actions are important too, of course. But _saying_ it – it's different. Saying the words is like…_confirming_ what you feel." He puffed out his chest, feeling proud for the way he's thinking. _Man, I'm such a genius sometimes I could kill myself_, he thought proudly.

Yoh ran his fingers back and forth across the water, making swirling patterns. "So…what you're saying is…I have to tell her that I love her."

Horo Horo gaped at him. _He's so dense._ "YES, you have to tell her! Do you get it now?"

Yoh raised his head to look at his friend, a grin creeping across his face. "All right! I'm going to tell Anna! I'll do it tomorrow!"

Horo Horo grinned back happily. "That's the spirit!" he cried, pounding Yoh's arm.

"AAAAAUUUUUUGGHHHH!"

* * *

Anna was walking home when she saw a figure from a distance approaching her. On instinct, her hand floated to the itako beadsaround her neck, but she continued forward. As the figure came nearer, she saw that it was a boy with dark brown hair that was sticking out wildly in all directions.

She stopped in her tracks. "Y-Yoh?" she called out, feeling shocked. "What are you doing here?"

Yoh gave her that infectious grin of his. He continued walking, stopping right in front of her. "Hi, Anna."

She tilted her head up to look at him in the eye. _He's grown so tall,_ she thought. _How come I noticed just now?_

"I finished my training early today," Yoh explained. Then his eyes widened. "I'm telling the truth, I swear. I didn't cheat or anything, you can ask Manta and Amidamaru." He looked like a child waiting to be spanked.

"What are you doing here?" she just repeated. She was too surprised to go back to her usual self and torture him again.

He breathed out a sigh of relief. She wasn't mad. Good. He plunged on, "I knew you always come home this way, at this time. So I thought…that I'd come and greet you."

Anna looked at him in complete shock. "You did?" she said, feeling breathless. She felt her heart pounding loudly inside her chest.

"Yup," he said, putting his hands inside his pockets. He shot her a tentative grin, bobbing up and down on his heels nervously.

A long silence stretched out between them. "So…" she finally said, reluctantly.

"Want to go for a walk?" he suddenly said.

Once more, Anna looked into the black eyes that mirrored her own. She looked down and fiddled with one end of her bandanna so he wouldn't see the smile that was forming on her face. "Um, s-sure…" she couldn't help stammering, inwardly cursing herself for doing so.

"Great!" Yoh said happily. Without thinking, his hand reached out and grabbed hers.

She didn't pull away.

"Yippee!" Yoh whooped as he ran down the beach, Anna following behind him slowly. He ran around for several moments, feeling lighthearted. Then he promptly threw himself down on the soft sand. "Owww!" he howled.

Anna caught up to him, shaking her head. "Why did you do that if you knew your body hurts?"

He smiled up at her. "I just felt like it." Then he closed his eyes.

Sighing, Anna sat down beside him, tucking in the skirt of her black dress. She glanced at Yoh. His eyes were still closed. _He must've fallen asleep._ She bit her lip. Manta was right. She should tell Yoh that she loves him. Should she wake him up now and do it?

Sighing again, she dropped her chin to her knees and began writing on the sand.

_How on earth am I supposed to do this?_ Yoh opened one eye. He turned his head a bit and glanced at Anna, who was bent forward. _What is she doing?_ Craning his neck, he tried to see what she was writing without being noticed.

I LO – it says. Anna deliberately added a V. Then, an E. Yoh's heart sped up. Then she added a Y. Then an O…

"What are you doing?" he blurted out, then clamped his hand over his mouth. _STUPID MOUTH! _he berated. _STUPID ME! Why, why, why!_

In a swift motion, Anna wiped away the words with one brush of her hand. She whirled around. "Did you see it!" she cried.

Yoh shook his head violently. "N-No, I didn't – I didn't see anything…"

She glared at him. "You're lying."

Knowing it was useless, he gave up. "Alright…I did. Are you mad?" He suddenly felt depressed. _You're useless, Asakura. You just ruined the moment._

Anna stared at him for a long time, and Yoh waited fearfully for the blow to fall. Then, surprisingly, she smiled. It took his breath away. _Anna's really pretty when she's not scaring the wits out of me. Then again, she's pretty too when her eyes spark with anger… _

"It's okay," she said softly. "I don't mind if you saw what I wrote." _Maybe that will spare me from actually saying it._

Yoh sat up and grinned, feeling strangely light. "Alright…so, what were you writing?"

She shot him a look. "I thought you saw," she said.

"Not all, just a little part—"

"Liar," she said, but she was smiling a little. "Well, if you didn't see it, I'm not going to write it again for you."

"Why don't you just say it?" Yoh clamped his mouth shut again. _Why can't **I** just say it?_ Anna stared at him with wide eyes. He held her gaze, his heart pounding. Finally, with a huge sigh, she looked away.

Anna bent forward again, this time making random patterns on the sand. His eyes fell on her bandanna, which was billowing in the wind. He reached up and removed it from her head.

"Yoh—" she protested. "What are you doing? Give it back."

"No," he said, placing it out of her reach, feeling playful. "I want to see you without it." He realized by now that Anna was in a very good mood today – which happened rarely, so he knew she wouldn't get mad at his antics. _I should definitely tell her today._

"You see me every night when I take it off," she grumbled. "You messed up my hair." She reached up to pat her hair down.

At the same time, he also reached up to comb his fingers through her hair. Their hands brushed. Yoh let his hand linger, enjoying the silkiness of her hair. "It's not messed up," he reassured her. "There. It looks just fine."

Anna's breath caught in her throat. Her head was tingling from his touch. This was all driving her crazy. _We're so different today,_ she mused. _Yoh and I were never like this before. Would it be better if I just drop the whole ice queen act and…be like this always? _She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. _I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it today. _

Glancing up at the sky, she gave a small gasp. She reached out and grabbed Yoh's arm, not noticing his yelp at her action. "Yoh, look! The sky! It's so beautiful!"

He gaped at her for a moment before looking up at the marvelous display of colors as the sun slowly began to set. The sky was swirling with shades of red, yellow, and orange, which slowly became tinged with pink and violet. Anna thought it was the most beautiful sunset she had ever seen.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she murmured.

Yoh's gaze dropped back to her. "Yeah," he said, his voice throaty. "It sure is."

Anna turned to look at him to find him staring intently at her. She couldn't hide the blush that flamed her cheeks. Good lord, she had never blushed so openly before in her entire life! She treated it as a grave sin, but here she was, a helpless victim of the very thing she despised before.She dropped her eyes. "Yoh…" She could never look at him again the way she did before. He would know – or maybe he already did – that she was just putting up a façade. He would know, because in a moment, everything between them had changed.

"Anna, I just—" She looked up at him, only to find his face very close to hers.

Without thinking, he placed one hand against her smooth cheek. She leaned into his touch before she could stop herself. Yoh placed his other hand on her other cheek and pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes.

It was all too much for her. Anna gave a small sob before she slumped forward, pressing her face against his neck. "Anna…?" he said questioningly.

She shook her head. "Hold me," she whispered brokenly. "Just…hold me."

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, burying his face in her hair. "I'm here…I'm not letting you go. Ever," he said huskily.

They stayed that way for a long time.

* * *

Anna raised her head to look at him. It was already dark, and the stars had already come out. They were lying in the sand, and Yoh was playing with her hair. He smiled at her when their eyes met.

"Yoh…" She sat up slowly. He sat up as well. "A while ago…you were going to say something. What was it?"

His smile turned into a grin. "Oh, that." He scratched his head, laughing a little. "I forgot already," he lied.

She just chuckled softly. "Idiot."

"Yeah, I know." Yoh stood up and stretched out his hand to help Anna get up. "Ready to go home?"

Anna nodded. This time, Yoh reached out to put his arm around her shoulders and pull her close. Anna dropped her head on his shoulder and sighed deeply, feeling content.

They walked home in that manner.

The words were left unsaid. But it didn't matter. There would always be another day.

End.

A/N (again): Hey, if you're still reading this…do you know where I can get Shaman King wallpapers? Particularly SK wallpapers with Yoh and Anna in it? Please please please email me! I will be eternally grateful! Thanks!


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